Presentation at European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists

SETTING POLICY GOALS TO REDUCE MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION

Alpizar, F.*, Lanza, G., Carlsson, F., Carney, B. , Daniels, R.C., Jaime, M., Ho, T., Nie, Z., Salazar, C., Tibesigwa, B., Visser, M., Wahdera, S.

INTRODUCTION

The pollution of marine ecosystems with plastic debris is both a global and a local problem with potentially severe consequences for wildlife, economic activity, and human health.

It is a problem that originates in countries’ inability to adequately manage the growing flow of waste in general, and plastic, in particular.

OBJECTIVE

We aim at producing a toolbox for a policy choice that is suitable for different countries. Policymakers should identify their country’s situation in the impact pathway, which will, in turn, open a menu of suitable policy instruments at their disposal. Better policies should bring the world closer to efficiently reducing marine plastic debris at the source.

METHODOLOGY

We use an impact pathway framework to trace the flow of plastics through the socio-ecological system and identify the role of specific policy instruments in achieving behavioral changes in favor of reduced marine plastic debris. We then use this framework to make country-specific recommendations that reflect the reality of solid waste management in each of the countries selected as examples.